Submitted photo New Ulm Police Chief Dave Borchert says he is interested in working with a number of area law enforcement agencies.

By Sunni Battin

news@nujournal.com

In 2026, the New Ulm Police Department has major goals and plans it would like to accomplish.

“We are constantly working on better methods to serve the community,” said New Ulm Police Chief Dave Borchert. “The overall goal is not only respond, but also be more proactive with challenges connected with drug abuse and mental health that are occurring within the community. If we can proactively work with mental health/chemical dependency challenges, it leads to a safer community.”

In particular, Borchert said his goal is to have professional workshops to include probation, licensed alcohol and drug counselors, other law enforcement agencies, social workers, and county/city attorney staff to have open discussion about concerning behaviors pertaining to mental health or chemical dependency.

“As a group we can hopefully reduce the red tape to find a quicker and well thought-out solution to help the individual in need and ultimately find the solution that is the best fit,” he said. “I would like to organize these meetings as soon as January and hopefully meet at least monthly. Results would hopefully involve quicker access to civil commitments for short-term in-house therapy for people that are encountering severe and persistent mental illness and chemical dependency issues affecting safety and/or their immediate health.”

As far as staffing, Borchert said in the new year he would like to fill a vacancy that has been vacant for more than a year with a licensed police officer. He said that the department is stretched thin like other law enforcement agencies experiencing a labor shortage.

“There are simply less licensed or eligible to be licensed candidates to choose from. My goal is recruit stronger with colleges that offer law enforcement training programs,” Borchert explained.

Also in 2026, Borchert plans to increase training with other law enforcement agencies. So far, the agencies that the New Ulm Police Department have been working with in 2025 include the Brown County Sheriff’s Office, Winthrop, Gaylord, and Gibbon Police Departments and the Sibley County Sheriff’s Office.

“We want to continue to build our current program of working with neighboring law enforcement agencies to provide a better ‘force multiplier,'” he said. “This includes but is not limited to formal Mutual Aid Agreements and more intense law enforcement training with all involved agencies. Specifically, we are looking to expand training on subjects to include incident command, active shooter, and domestic terrorism.

One aspect that Borchert will be watching in the new year is technology. He said while technological advancements are helpful, there also tends to a hefty price tag that comes with it.

“Our subscription budget for these upgrades have increased by approximately seven times over the past decade,” he said. “I predict that this trend will continue. Areas that will likely be affected involve artificial intelligence – A.I. The advancement will be quicker methods to complete police reports to help officers provide the required documentation via a much quicker and more thorough means. In turn, this will help the officers get back on the street to do the true job that they were hired for which involves direct interaction with community members to problem solve and keep everyone safe.”